Unleashed In The East - Hegre In Tokyo

The Hegre-Art adventure has taken Petter to exotic and unique locations around the world, from Buenos Aires to Prague, Cape Town to New York City. But even for a world traveller like him, this proved to be a unique and difficult challenge.

It was late November 2010 when he left for the Far East - the land of the rising sun and exotically beautiful women, in a collaborative adventure with Extremo Magazine, Mexico. He didn’t go unprepared, though. A local production manager and a translator were on the team the entire time. But still . . .

The culture shock was surprisingly difficult to adjust to. Chaotic, frustrating, and complicated, the first two days of casting seemed to set the tone for the whole trip. Negotiations were awkward. Beautiful women were a challenge to find. If it were not for a favour from a well-known Japanese photographer, this adventure may not have been as successful as it was.

Japan is a monoculture, and there is almost no cultural diversity. Things may move fast in Tokyo, but that can be an illusion when everything simply comes back to where it began.

Travel Tags

Day One

I did not quite know what to expect, but my pre-perception of Japan as a kinky nation had always attracted me; their weird fetishes and often theatrical and animated approach to sexuality appealed to the artist in me.

I’ve been shooting nudes all over the world for over 12 years and everywhere the industry practically always works the same way, so I thought we came well prepared and knew what we were doing. But the culture clash we experienced the first 3-4 days was shocking.

In Japan you are either a fashion model or a porn model - for them there are basically no nuances between the two. The whole porn, fashion, music and entertainment industry are run by organized gangsters.

And do not think we took on this Tokyo production lightly. In fact, it was the highest budget production we had ever planned. 2 months before our arrival a trusted colleague had spent a week doing research checking on accommodation and locations and meeting local photographers, production managers and model agents... and all seemed to be in order...

We had reviewed 100s of models online before we came to Tokyo and had handpicked many for our first big casting day. What we saw, however, was nothing like in the model composites we had been shown previously. Never before have I seen such manipulation. And the creepy agents with their “$$$” grins and stupid hats and mix of wall-street and hip-hop outfits just made it all even worse. What appeared to be big-eyed and slender girls with great features turned out to be "pygmy hogs".

Sorry for the lack of a more delicate description, but it was nothing but shocking and frustrating. It was then and there that I realized we had been blue-eyed, and that this was going to be a much bigger challenge then we would ever have imagined...

‘Till tomorrow
p​

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day OneClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

Films

Day Two

It was the first day of shooting. We’d rented a classic Japanese house, but moving the big crew around Tokyo is slow, and our driver can’t seem to find the address...

There’s a lot of tension after the surprising clash we dealt with during our first few days here, since the casting was a huge catastrophe. We saved this first shoot today by booking Konata, who I had already shot (you’ve seen her), as well as the only girl we found to be decent from the initial castings: Chiaki.

It turned out to be a perfect match.

As the girls got naked and we started shooting, I got those good vibes back – that inspiration that makes me do all of this.

It was the first time Chiaki had posed nude, but Konata, as we all know, is a veteran - and wow, was she the perfect mentor! After some solo shots, we put them together and sparks began flying! Chiaki actually had a real sexual experience during the shoot, which sometimes happens with first timers as, they simply cannot stop themselves from becoming aroused.

The big crew didn’t seem to turn her off, as she for sure saw stars at least once while Konata was giving her the best rubbing she could, a talent we all know she has...

It was really hot.

While all this was going on other team members were pulling strings wherever they could to reel in more models for the next few days. After all, we had one more week in this city and no more confirmed models...

The saga continues tomorrow!
p

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day TwoClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

Films

Cry Or Cramp?

Things are starting to flow now, and good things are happening.

We managed to finally reach an agreement with an incredible girl last night - a real nurse!!! I told her to bring her uniform... Obviously she has ambitions to add nude modeling to her choice of career. A fine goal, I think.

She is another first timer, and you might ask what is so special about that. It really is unique, because it means she is a virgin to the world of erotica, and any rare asset is a valuable one. We also confirmed that tiny girl from our first day casting, not my favourite but at the moment we are still scarce with models.

The location was a multi studio "Miami" style house in the outskirts of Tokyo. Not very Japanese, but it was a super efficient shooting space. It was our first really fun day in Tokyo, but it was not without drama; for reasons I don’t really understand, both models cried at the end of the day. The agents (they were there all day watching) got upset with me and my "aggressive" shooting style... But they never complained until it was all over.

I guess 10 hours of constant shooting takes its toll on the models, and I do tend to get a bit excited and into the moment when I work. I do not give them a minute of rest, but I get such a high when things are really rolling, an adrenaline rush, and this fuels the mood on set. I empower them to push ahead with me even when it is hard. That’s the worker in me and the energy I have I suppose.

And I see that it produces results. Sometimes I joke about it and say that if the model does not cry or cramp during the session the photographer has not done a good job! ;-)

Cold beer and a basket of sushi made a perfect end of the day, but there was more work ahead...

p

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day ThreeClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

Films

Day Four

The initial tension and frustration of the first few days has gone with the wind. We’re on a roll now and may have finally figured out all the do’s and don’ts of working in Japan. Most importantly I think we’ve proven our professionalism to the movers and shakers of the local modelling industry, and they’ve begun to take it easy on us.

Today was dedicated to a girl named Rie, a beauty student from provincial Tokyo. We first did some shooting in my hotel room, to warm up, before moving on to one of Tokyo’s infamous “love hotels.”

There’s hardly a block in the city where you won’t find one, and I just have to admire the concept for these places. You bring your partner, mistress, or escort, pay $20 per hour and then choose your preferred setting: The “Galaxy Room” complete with Darth Vader costume, or if you’re into stewardesses maybe a flight attendant uniform for your girl before you take her to the “Cockpit.” Or, like we did, dress her up as a geisha and put her in the “Chinese room.”

It came supplied with lubrication, video lights, and a PS3 :-)

All in all it was a good day in an incredible location, and Rie was the perfect muse who really enjoyed the role play. Tomorrow we’re meeting up with Yone, considered by many to be the #1 photographer in Japan right now. If all goes well, he says he will pull some strings for us. Let’s hope all goes well!

Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Edo...

P

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day FourClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

Yone the Saviour

I see from some of the comments that many of you think we should’ve been better prepared for the trip. Looking back, it’s easy to say that we could have done some things differently, but I honestly believe we came as well prepared as we reasonably could have.

As I said initially, a colleague spent a whole week in Tokyo doing research and building a support network for us. We also had a Japanese production manager dealing with the locals for casting and location, and these efforts really paid off.

But one of the key people we made contact with before the production and someone my colleague had a meeting with on his first trip was a famous Japanese photographer named Yone. After a breakfast together at our hotel, he made a few phone calls and it was like the cork had finally come out of this Tokyo bottle-neck! Suddenly the 12 syrupy modelling agencies we were trying to deal with WANTED to work with us.

One could say he saved our production, and only because we did our homework before leaving :)

His slogan is “YONE MAKES YOU HORNEY!” :)

What better guy could we have found to be our saviour? See some of his work here: http://cexwork.com/​

And go to today’s film to see us cruising Tokyo by night together.

For the rest of the day another two models were captured – Anna Takizawa and Ito Yurie. Beware, though, because for the remaining 4 days of this journey you’ll see some of the most amazing girls coming from the land of the rising sun.

More adventures to come,
p.

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day FiveClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

Drifters compete against each others in the mountains and on the streets, and spend thousands customising their cars. You don’t buy these parts at your local autoshop, nono. These guys need special pieces that aren’t just for looks. They say you can tell a guy who only made cosmetic changes to his car because it sounds “like a fart in a coffee can.” Real drifters change the performance first...then they add the flash.

You can almost smell the burning rubber just looking at real drift cars, so of course we had to include them in our productions.

We managed to find a classic looking “pit-girl” named Reina Yuuki and a cool custom garage called King-Buyer to shoot at. If you’re interested in getting a custom drifting car, check out their website here: http://www.king-buyer.co.jp/

I’m a car nut when it comes to American muscle cars (Chargers in particular) and this is the modern Japanese version of those.

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day SixClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

Films

Day Seven

This is my favourite day of the trip and my two favourite models from our Tokyo production: Cocomi and Mayuko. Both girls have already been introduced to our members:

The first location was set in a rustic river side restaurant, just my kind of diner with fat wooden tables and upside down pillowed paint buckets as stools. First one out was Mayuko, and she just blew me away when she did the 6 o’clock position in her school uniform, a flexi girl that should get many fetishists’ blood boiling.

From there we moved to a gay night club in the red light district. First I got all claustrophobic in there as there was hardly any space to set up our lamps and too many shiny surfaces...but at the end it turned out to probably be the best session of the trip, and when you see the photos of Cocomi taken there you will understand why! What a doll, what measurements, what a waist, and when I put her amazing proportions and bambi eyes together with Mayuko's athleticism, sparks were flying...

At one moment, while the camera was spitting fire, I felt that powerful "photo-fit" that occasionally happens, like the session envelopes you and bring you to a new high and you feel merged with the camera and the subject. It’s quite intense I can tell you, and you do not wanna be near me then,
as I will crush everything in my way and the models are hypnotized and do anything I ask them :)

Afterwards, totally drained (trips to the Shangri-La puts you in a sedated state afterwards), while the crew was rigging down, I sat flat on the sidewalk, sipping beer with a satisfied grin on my face and being hit on by the gays passing by.

Days like these makes it all worth it.

Tomorrow we are visiting a hotspring.... and Mayuko is coming along for what hopefully be another great day.

p​

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day SevenClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

Films

Spring flowers

I'm still high from yesterday's shoot. The 2 hour drive to a Japanese hot spring on the outskirts of Tokyo was just a breeze.

Shooting in a Japanese hot spring was actually top of my list of locations I wanted to cover during this production, and what a place it was - a small and cosy Japanese house discreetly set in a lush hillside with a bamboo garden and a big outdoor stone bath with the typical dragon head fountain.
I instantly knew that this would be another productive day.

The new model of the day was Saki, a tall and slender milky-white skinned girl with long auburn hair. Her serious character perfectly fitted the initial sessions with her dressed in a kimono in the bamboo garden.

Later she was paired up with yesterday's wild child and used as canvas for Mayuko's skilled calligraphy - an epic session.

Afterwards the girls entered the hot bath and their skin seemed to be smoking as moisture was rising from their hot bodies into the cold air outside.

The day ended with both the girls intimately and passionately clinching on some blue silky sheets while I was counting down the final exposures. Then I knew this journey was a success. And it could only get better because the next and final day of this trip Miss Maria Ozawa herself was booked. I honestly did not knew how big star she was until I recently discovered that she is a phenomenon both on Youtube and Youporn. Now she's chosen to join Hegre-Art she's bigger still!

Stay tuned for the grand finale tomorrow.
P

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day EightClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

Films

Fabulous finale

The last day of this photo expedition to Tokyo was dedicated to Maria Ozawa, a superstar and a Japanese icon. You could say she was the icing on the cake of this Tokyo production.

The magnitude of her stardom and celebrity status can't be over-stated. I would say there is no other porn-actress in the world who has risen to become such an icon as her. But it is not hard to understand why she has become such a phenomenon. Her stunning beauty and perfect proportions are really rare in the industry. So is how she is is the cover girl for FHM magazine one day and the next day she is the "target" in a bukkake movie.

I really did not have any expectation of working with Maria while I was here. Her accessibility is very limited, her rates are sky high, and currently she is working exclusively for a Tokyo syndicate doing VIP burlesque-inspired strip shows for the rich and famous of the Tokyo underworld. But out of the blue, only two days before we left Japan, we were approached by her agent saying that Maria Ozawa actually wished to work with me and would agree on a sensible fee.

I can confirm that she is as strikingly sexy as her reputation. With a Canadian father and Japanese mother I guess she got the best from two worlds.

As Maria has been photographed in endless environments and locations throughout the last five years, I decided to go for a simple and classic studio setting. This way I could primarily focus on her figure and face against a clean backdrop and create something more timeless and universal. It was an amazing session. Besides playing with a bunch of garments and gels we also did a full series of polaroids that she signed and that will be available to her die-hard fans in our soon-to-open web-shop here on hegre-art.com.

So that's a wrap! Tokyo proved to be the most challenging and complicated production I have ever done, but it was definitely worthwhile. It is very satisfactory to have done it, and I really believe that very few foreigners could have come here, "conquered" and produced like we did.

Thanks for following us and for your support

Petter

Travel Day Tags

Photos|Day NineClick an Image to Enlarge

NB! Please note that images and films presented here are not representative of the technical quality of Hegre-Art.com. Travel photos and film clips are made with a "point and shoot" compact camera only.

I love Japan. From the fashion to the art to the women to the food, it is my ideal country besides the fact of nuances that any culture has. Hearing that it is run by organized crime, thats kinda odd, but I can imagine it.
These were great models and an awesome shoot!

Shinmaru,
United States

this girl is ugly

that's all...

daltonesque,
Hong Kong

Best day--YES!

Right on, Petter--Mayuko set THIS fetishist's blood boiling exactly as you predicted! She and Cocomi are my two favorites from your whole trip as well.

dgt99x,
United States

Getting even better. Excellent photography and fim making. This is wow material. Can't wait for the movie to come out.

herveda,
France

Top One

Mayuko is magnificent! Incredible work Hegre! Much respect!!!

DanDen,
Canada

Tokyo Production

Excellent work! Will the photos and films taken in your Tokyo production be made available to the members of this site? It seems that only a small part of them have been released. I look forward to seeing them all.

bigcat,
Hong Kong

Maria Ozawa

Maria Ozaw..over the top, my man. Fabulous. Thank you too much.

Travelingman,
United States

Your Japan trip

Yes, you found out quickly how apart Japan is from the Geishans and I think this attitude is completely justified since we westerners have our own very different attitudes. Thank you extremely much for the rare glimpse into the art/model feeling of Japan and your travails mixed with the fun side. Very real. You are a truly super photographer with a great edge.

Travelingman,
United States

Japan

Thank you for bringing us the pleasures of the east!!

nick,
United Kingdom

Tokyo-Day4

Love this series.Very tasty looking women.Is there a day 4 video on the way?Would really enjoy seeing the ladies in the pics on video.

Bob,
Canada

Those butts...

Interesting read :) I'm looking forward to the part where I can see the photo from the cover, those two amazing asses! They're delicious!

Jan Erik,
Norway

I Figured...

@The Guy
I figured it wasn't you. You generally have a more intelligent and easy-going approach, but there will always be morons and drunks out there looking to have their little snickers behind the screen.

Patticakes,
Canada

Very nice travel day, link is interesting and nice, he have good works, japan girls are sweet, around the world all girls are sweet and beauifull,
Keep up very good works,
Best regards..

Setuss_wyar,
Turkey

@sympathies:
As a non-tourist to Japan for the past several years, I agree with the basic premise of your post but certainly not the presumptuous tone. While I would not question your business credentials, it's questionable for you to do the same onto others.

emacs,
Canada

Been there

Petter,
Anyone one who has tried to do business in Japan with other than large multi-nationals has gotten the same impression about it being run by organized crime. You may disregard comments from those who have only been there as tourists but want to seem like they know something. (Canadians & Angelinos) First time in any country is difficult. First time in Japan make others seem simple.

sympathies,
United States

Difficulties in Japan

Thanks Petter for giving us your honest impressions of this difficult cross-cultural encounter--very interesting! But rest assured it was all worth it, as far as I am concerned, after seeing the beautiful results published so far.

dgt99x,
United States

The Guy

To Patticakes: Apologies.
To whomever posted RE: Woof! as "The Guy": please grow some brain cells and think of your own nickname. I have been using that moniker for years. Perhaps your problem is more testes than brain cells. (Though clearly not much of either).

The Guy,
United States

Great video, even with Peter's butt crack showing half way through :-)

Plumber,
United States

@not surprised:
You've come to the conclusion that "[m]ost of Japan is run by organized crime" after only two trips? That's the problem: you've only been to Japan twice and therefore you're not really in any position of authority to make such a claim.
When doing any type of business in Japan, however, it is quite important to know the business culture and customs beforehand as well as have local representation. Petter, it would have been much much easier for you and your crew had there been a Hegre-Art Japan office already established. Although i fully realise this wasn't possible for this trip, it underscores how vital it is to establish a trusted presence in Japan for all business dealings in that country. You have to prove yourself first and then they'll trust you.
Anyways, as a professional, you've seemed to work your way past the initial tension. I look forward to seeing more of your work from Japan :)

emacs,
Canada

No mosaic

Finally we will see the japanese goddess without a mosaic censorship!!!! Big up Hegre!!!!

DanDen,
Canada

shaving

What chance of seeing more of the shaving. Pity all the japanese seem to prefer the hairy loook!
best regards H

H,
United Kingdom

Nurse

Can't wait to see more of the nurse, what's her name?

Nick,
United Kingdom

I hope their hair should be shaved until the last day.

Joe,
Japan

RE: Woof!

Patticakes,
Unless you are speaking of the girl in pink in the last pic you desperately need a testosterone injection or a transplant to replace your ovaries with testes.

The Guy,
United States

Research much?

Having been to Japan only twice I am not at all surprised by your difficulties. Had your "trusted colleague" ever been to Japan? If not (and certainly If so) you should probably rethink the "trusted" part of that moniker. Most of Japan is run by organized crime. It is only the dregs that sport the "business/hip-hop" look. Looks can be deceiving, unless the looks have you worried. In that case you should be thinking, "am I worried enough?". The answer is always NO! Hint: No one speaks with you without first being photographed and the photographer and equipment leave the area. Discretely of course, unless they are sporting the "hip-hop" look, in which case it is explained that you will speak with them when they are appropriately attired and unaccompanied other than the model. As in all such cultures, discrete & disciplined "nefarious" colleagues who will take your cue as to when their nefariousness is needed are a major benefit. One more hint: Japanese girl + light hair = porn or prostitute = more trouble than it's worth. Exceptions exist but like stereotypes they came about for good reason. Better luck next time.
P.S. loose Konata

not surprised,
United States

Even I'm surprised.

I've been to Japan, and I've spent years trying to learn the language, studying the culture and making friends with several nihonjin here in Los Angeles and while I consider myself very far from being an expert on Japan, I'd like to consider myself somewhat familiar with everything. However, I don't doubt the story. It's easy to believe that at least the porn industry there is under mob control. For the longest time, so was Vegas. How much drug and gang money went into propping up hip hop music in the United States? Japanese gangsters, like everything else Japanese, probably benefits from discretion. It is mutually beneficial to the image of Japan as well as it is to the operations of organized crime to avoid widespread attention to their existence and activities. Nevertheless, it is disheartening that it would have to cause such difficulties in producing the fine works offered on this website. I sincerely hope that as we see additional material, the most was made of the daunting journey to the east. In spite of the issues, I am absolutely in love with the people and the land, and was incredibly excited to see models from Japan on a website like this.
As they might say there: ganbatte Hegre.

D.L.,
United States

Re: lol brian

Well, I kinda thought with the casual shots he might show some of them. I see some pygmies, but they look hot to me! XD

BrianC,
Canada

The Weirdness

Petter, you are operating on the fringe of the 'mizu shobai' (the 'water trade' as adult entertainment is sometimes called) - inhabited by some less than professional and sometimes downright criminal guys. Careful!
Can't wait to see the rest of the travel journal for your visit to Tokyo. I spent many years there - fascinating and frustrating at the same time....

Akatombo,
United States

Sounds funny. I've been to Tokyo, but strictly as a tourist, which I suppose is a totally different paradigm than going there for professional purposes. I found it to be a vibrant and exciting city.

Jake Ray,
United States

lol brian...

you WANT to see them???

wheeler,
United States

Woof!

Cute dog :-)

Patticakes,
United States

For True

The Japanese do indulge in some weird fetishes, mate. But is that because of the censorship the porn industry has? I always thought it was because they can't show genitals that they go a bit over the top with this shit.

Paul Mac,
United Kingdom

Not So Bad

The one's in the pics here don't look so bad. Did you not put up any of the hogs?

BrianC,
Canada

Lucky pooch!is she that tiny? or, are you that big? (or, a little of both?)